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US Embassy denies secret agreement existence for troop extension
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The US Embassy in Iraq has denied Iraqi media reports quoting its Ambassador to Baghdad, James Jeffery, as having reported the existence of a secret agreement between the US and Iraq for the extension of the presence of the American forces in Iraq after the end of the current year.
We have a strong wish for the existence of a permanent partnership with the Iraqi government and people, and the relations with the Iraqi security forces shall represent an important part of this partnership, he said. The American forces are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq completely by the end of the current year, according to the Security Agreement, signed between the two countries, but the US prefers the extension of the presence of some of its troops in the country after 2011. Different Iraqi political forces have not expressed clear positions towards the said cause, but some politicians have expressed support for the presence of some American troops, till the completion of the potential of the Iraqi security forces for few more years. The political forces have authorized Iraqs Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, to hold talks with the American side for the presence of some training forces, despite fact that both sides have not announced a result for Posted by: Steve White 2011-09-16 |
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